An Unlikely Friendship
by The Lady Arturia
Summary: When Harry arrives at his kids' preschool to help resolve a simple misunderstanding blown out of proportion, he comes across a certain platinum-haired, silver-eyed wizard he knows all too well. What used to be a seemingly pointless hatred between the two evolves into...an unlikely friendship. Drarry one-shot written for QLFC Round 1.
**An Unlikely Friendship**

* * *

" _The best relationships are the ones you never saw coming."_

 _-Unknown_

-oOo-

"That's right. Just run to your mummy!"

Harry grabbed James as the seven-year-old swivelled around, clapping a hand to the boy's mouth as he started yelling rather rude words. Glancing over his shoulder, he saw that, as he had expected, Albus was nearly in tears.

What was a small misunderstanding between Albus, James and the boy who was supposed to have been James' friend had been blown out of proportion when the boy, Dylan's, mother had showed up. Ginny had sent Harry an urgent letter asking him to come to the preschool because she couldn't handle a crying Lily, a panicking Albus, and a rampaging James—whom Harry had only just managed to calm down before Dylan had set him off again—on her own, as well as pacify Dylan and his mother.

As he proceeded to pick up a struggling James in an attempt to keep him from running towards Dylan, there was a pained shout, followed by a string of curses, from behind him. One hand on Albus's shoulder and the other one holding onto James, who had momentarily stopped thrashing around, he turned to see what all the commotion was about.

Dylan was hopping on one foot while clutching his other leg, his face twisted in pain, yelling profanities to a younger boy, who looked about five, the same age as Albus, standing a little away. He had a triumphant, albeit mildly frightened expression on his face, with tidy platinum-blond hair combed back neatly, and was wearing expensive-looking clothes. Something about the boy seemed vaguely familiar, but before Harry could put a finger to it, someone brushed passed him, the cool silk of the person's robes making him shiver.

"Scorpius, apologise," said a crisp voice Harry knew all too well. He froze, watching as Draco Malfoy pushed the little blond forward.

Scorpius hesitated, and then glanced towards Harry and the boys before he shook his head, pointed a finger at Dylan, and said, " _He's_ the one who should apologise. He's the bully!"

There were murmurs of assent from the handful of children and parents standing around and watching, and one of the kids yelled, "Yeah! Apologise, Dylan!"

Dylan and his mother looked like cornered animals as the children began chanting, "Apologise! Apologise!" and finally, one of the teachers went up to them and said something. The witch looked extremely displeased, but nevertheless, she leaned down to whisper something to her son, who, after a bit of an argument, relented.

He walked up to Harry and the boys, looking none too happy about whatever it was he was about to do, and mumbled a barely audible, "I'm sorry."

Before Harry could react, James cried, "I didn't hear you, be louder!"

Dylan went red in the face. He clenched his fists, bowed his head, muttered a garbled, "Imsorry," and ran back to his mother. As they made their way to the door, Harry heard the boy complain to his mother, "It's not fair that they can get away with anything just because they're Harry Potter's kids!"

Harry sighed and looked at Ginny. She nodded and called for the boys, and they went to her, leaving him to deal with the inevitable.

He turned to face Malfoy as the man walked towards him. His surprise at seeing Harry was masked by the classic smirk that spread across his face, instantly making Harry bristle.

"This is a surprise," Malfoy drawled as he and Scorpius came to stand before Harry.

"Sure is." Harry dropped his gaze to the boy, who was looking up at him tentatively, and smiled. "Thanks for what you did there, Scorpius."

Scorpius hid behind his father's leg and peeked out. With a small nod, he said, "Al's my friend. And Father told me to always stand up to bullies."

Harry looked back at Malfoy, his eyebrows raised. The blond reached down to pat his son on the head, a proud, yet gentle smile, nothing like Harry had ever seen before from the man, on his face.

"So, er," Harry said, clearing his throat. "Thanks, I guess?"

Malfoy's grey eyes glittered, the corners of his mouth quirking up in a smirk. "You're very welcome. Well, I suppose we'll take our leave, now," he said, looking down at his son.

Scorpius nodded, his wide, silver eyes fixed on Harry as he clenched his little fists, a determined look on his face. "Mummy's sick, so I'm going to nurse her back to health."

Harry smiled at his innocence. "I'm sure she'll get better soon, then."

Malfoy took the boy's hand and tugged him forward gently. "Scorpius, say goodbye."

"Bye, Mr Potter!" Harry waved, watching as the two strode towards the door, where Scorpius paused to wave at Albus and say, "See you Sunday!"

As they disappeared out the door, he couldn't help but wonder what a coincidence it was that Malfoy's son went to the same preschool as his own kids, his realisation of Scorpius's words striking him a little too late.

-oOo-

"I should go," Ginny said as they waited for Albus to finish packing the toys he wanted to take to Scorpius's house.

"Well, do you want to?" he asked her, even though he knew the answer already.

She shot him a _I really don't want to_ look, making him smile. "But," she sighed, "I've spoken with Astoria before, so it only makes sense that I go."

"You always drop them to school and pick them up, so this is the least I can do. Besides, I don't have work today, so why not?"

She watched as Albus zipped his backpack up and hefted it over his shoulders. "What if… what if Malfoy's around?"

He swallowed. He had been wondering the same thing ever since he had decided to accompany Albus to Malfoy Manor. Both him and Ginny hadn't really been very comfortable with the prospect of leaving their son in a place that they associated with nothing but bad memories. Ginny and Astoria were on relatively friendly terms, albeit it had more to do with the fact that Astoria hadn't really said she was Malfoy's wife, but Harry had insisted that he would go with Albus just to placate Ginny—and himself.

"I'm ready!" Albus announced as he came to the door, effectively breaking Harry's train of thought.

"Alright. Shall we go then, Al?" he asked as he kissed Ginny on the cheek and followed after his son.

Albus nodded and skipped to the fireplace as he sang, "Let's go!"

-oOo-

Harry and Albus had barely stepped out of the Floo when Scorpius came running up to them, his infectious excitement causing Albus to join him and run around in circles. Harry chuckled at the sight of the two boys, but his smile faltered as Malfoy stepped into the room.

The blond had an unnaturally calm and collected aura about him that somewhat unnerved Harry. He had heard that Malfoy was a Mind Healer who practiced privately, dealing specifically with people who suffered from trauma from the wars, but he had never thought that the man could change from the snotty git he had been, back in their Hogwarts days, to the man standing before him.

Malfoy smiled in a way that confused Harry—he wasn't used to anything more than the usual, superior smirk—as he walked towards him. "Good to see you, Potter," he greeted, holding out a hand.

"Er," Harry said, staring at Malfoy's outstretched hand and wondering whether or not to shake it. Something flitted across the blond's grey eyes, and Harry was suddenly reminded of a similar moment back when they were eleven. Swallowing thickly, he reached out and took Malfoy's hand, shaking it once. "Yeah," he said, because that was all he could manage.

Malfoy cocked a curious eyebrow before letting go of Harry's hand and motioning to the sofas. "Please, take a seat."

 _This is so…weird,_ Harry thought as he settled down on the sofa. Astoria came in just then, and with a polite greeting to him, ushered the boys out of the room, leaving Harry all alone with Malfoy.

"So," Harry began, unable to handle the stifling silence. "Nice place you have here."

Malfoy scoffed, looking amused. "There's hardly a need for you to indulge in niceties, Potter. I really don't expect that from either of us."

Something about the way the blond had said it, as though he was resigned to the fact that they were both forced into an undesirable situation that they couldn't change, got to Harry. He cleared his throat and frowned. Malfoy was right—they were long past the point of polite, small talk, considering everything they had been through, but that didn't necessarily mean the end of it.

Harry had always wondered what he would do if he were to come face to face with Malfoy again, so many years later. Would they studiously avoid each other? Would they continue to harbour childhood grudges? Or, would they let the past remain in the past and choose to move on?

Now that he was at the crossroads, he knew that the choice he made would either make or break their relationship—or lack thereof.

"Potter?" Malfoy questioned, seemingly uncomfortable with Harry's prolonged silence.

"Our sons are friends," Harry blurted out before he could stop himself. His heart had begun to race and warning bells were going off in his head, but he ignored them in favour of Malfoy's reaction.

The blond gave him an odd look before nodding. "Yes," he said slowly, as though unsure of what Harry was getting at.

"And I'm assuming, and hoping, that they remain friends during their years at Hogwarts…" He fidgeted, running a hand through his hair and mussing it up.

Malfoy clearly thought Harry was mental, if the expression on his face was any indication. Harry seconded that thought—he was completely mad for doing this. But the previous night's conversation with Ginny came to mind just then, of how she hadn't been comfortable with letting Albus come to Malfoy Manor because of all the suffering Harry and the rest had been through there, and that served as an impetus for him to charge on. It had been over two decades since the war; it was high time they put the past behind them.

"Well," Harry continued awkwardly, "if that's the case, then I think us—" he motioned between them, "—being on bad terms would do more harm than anything, wouldn't you say?"

Malfoy considered Harry for a long moment before he spoke. "I'd say we're on speaking terms, so it isn't all that bad, yes?"

Harry nodded and wiped his sweaty palms on his pants. "Sure. That works. I guess…"

The blond had a brooding look on his face, and the gleam in his stormy eyes made Harry feel as though Malfoy had seen right through him. As though to prove the same, the man crossed his legs and asked, "What is it that you're trying to say, Potter?"

He inhaled deeply, willing his thundering heart to calm down as he tried to speak. Failing to do so, he belatedly wondered why this was making him so nervous, and before he could change his mind, he blurted out, "Let's be friends, you and I."

Malfoy's eyes widened slowly and his mouth fell open. Was he so surprised by what Harry had said that he wasn't even able to conceal it? "What?" the blond finally managed, and Harry decided then and there that he would be the one to take the first step and move forwards.

Rising to his feet, he came around to where Malfoy was sitting and held his hand out. From the way the blond was scrutinising it, Harry thought he would slap his hand away. "I have half a mind to decline," Malfoy murmured, as though reading Harry's mind, but he reached out and took the outstretched hand anyway.

They stood there awkwardly for a moment, neither knowing what to say or do, until Scorpius and Albus came bursting into the room, faces and hands covered in dirt, as they showed the two men their successful potion.

Both Harry and Malfoy chuckled as the boys began arguing about who had made the most mistakes, and Harry chanced a glance at the blond. The moment he saw the gentle smile on Malfoy's face, he was reassured that he had done the right thing.

The next couple of hours passed by peacefully, with Harry and Malfoy reminiscing about their Hogwarts days and, to Harry's surprise and delight, laughing about what foolish children they had been. Now that he had seen the changed man Malfoy was first-hand, he no longer had all that many qualms about offering his hand in friendship to the blond.

As the sun set, Harry sat beside Malfoy on the patio, watching as Albus and Scorpius zoomed around on their toy brooms. He smiled when the two bumped into each other and began to roll around on the lawn, giggling.

"Thanks for letting us come over, Malfoy," he said, turning to the other man.

The blond looked away from the two boys long enough to focus his smile on Harry. "Draco," he said, and Harry blinked. "Call me Draco."

And that was the beginning of their unlikely friendship.

-oOo-

 **[6 years later]**

Harry found himself combing the heads of the various witches and wizards crowded around on platform nine-and-three-quarters as he searched for the familiar mop of platinum-blond. Albus beat him to it as he yelled, "Found them!" and wound his way through the throng.

"Al," Ginny called as she balanced the birdcage atop Albus's trunk. "Your luggage!" Seeing that the boy was long gone, she turned to James, who immediately took off with a, "I think I saw Uncle Ron and the rest!"

Harry chuckled as Ginny turned to Lily, who was still sulking about not being able to go to Hogwarts, and instructed her on what to do when the time came for her to leave.

Hearing someone call for him, he looked to his right and saw Albus waving to him furiously. He tapped Ginny on the shoulder to get her attention as he said, "Be right back," and made his way across the crowded platform.

He broke into a smile the moment he saw who Albus was talking to. Scorpius returned his smile as he said, "Hullo, Mr Potter! Long time no see!"

"You've grown taller, haven't you?" Harry asked as he moved his hand over Albus and Scorpius's heads, only to have it slapped away by the former.

"Not by much," Albus huffed, and Scorpius shot Harry a knowing look before turning to appease his best friend.

"You're late," said someone from behind Harry, the familiar drawl making him grin as he turned around.

"Draco," he said, clapping the blond on the shoulder. Draco crinkled his nose in mock disgust as he dusted his robes. "Better late than never, right?" Harry added, making the other man roll his eyes.

"When have you _ever_ been on time?"

"Hey, I was on time for that meeting the other day," Harry countered.

"Only because they postponed it by half an hour," Draco replied evenly.

"Lily was sick. I had to prioritise," Harry retorted, but he knew that Draco saw through all of his excuses. "Well, I _was_ on time when we went out to dinner last week," he added, just to save face.

Draco hummed and nodded. "That's true." But from the gleam in his silvery eyes, Harry knew that the blond had let him off the hook this once.

"Where's Astoria?" he asked in an attempt to change the topic, and Draco jabbed his thumb over his shoulder.

"She found Ginny before I found you."

The Hogwarts Express let out a loud hoot just then, signalling the end of their conversation. They ushered the boys towards the train and helped them put Albus's trunk away. The traditional farewell of the Potter-Weasley clan ensued, and Harry watched as Albus jumped onto the train and held his hand out. Scorpius didn't even hesitate before taking it, and the two disappeared inside, only to pop their heads out of a compartment moments later, waving wildly.

As he stood on the platform, hollering his goodbyes to his sons and his nieces and nephews, he couldn't help but sneak a glance at the man beside him. Draco stood there, waving, his eyes looking suspiciously moist, and when he caught Harry looking, he grinned, the most genuine, heart-felt grin Harry had seen from the man, yet.

Turning to watch as the Hogwarts Express pulled out of the station, he laughed, his heart so full of joy and contentment. Just then, surrounded by his friends and family, he was sure everything was right with the world.

All was well.

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 **A/n: This was written for Round 1 of the Quidditch League Fanfiction Competition. The prompt this time was to write about a Death Eater in different scenarios, except strictly without any Death Eater-y stuff. As Captain of the Falmouth Falcons, my scenario was "Write about your chosen Death Eater being with their friends," and I thought what better way to do that than with some nice, sweet Drarry.**

 **This was also written for** **Sehanine for the Epic Exchange Challenge on HPFC. Hope you liked it. :)**

 **And thus I have taken an oath. As a part of QLFC, I shall write as many Drarrys as possible to shorten the rather tiny gap between us and Dramione (not that I have anything against Dramione- it's just not Drarry, though, is it?). So I should be posting at least one Drarry one-shot every month for the next six months. Pretty exciting, huh?**

 **Also, this premise of Scorpius and Albus going to a preschool (which isn't the equivalent to a Muggle preschool, FYI. The preschools in my headcanon are literally 'pre school', where kids from ages 3-10 are taught about accidental magic and how to try and control it, a brief history of magic in itself, about Hogwarts and the four Houses, and Muggles.) is taken from my Drarry multi-chap, Iridescent Lies. Although the scenario is slightly different in that (go read it to find out ;)) it's still part of my headcanon where Draco is a Mind Healer (and Harry has recurring nightmares some two decades after the war, so him and Draco end up crossing paths. Again, *points to multi-chap* go read it to find out more because I don't wanna spoil anything!).**

 **So yeah, that's all I wanted to say.**

 **Here's to another successful season of QLFC, and before I go, here's the Falmouth Falcons' motto: _Let us win, but if we cannot win, let us break a few heads._**


End file.
